The Lord of the Rings is not only my favorite movie, it is my favorite fiction novel. J.R.R. Tolkien is masterful! He spent years creating the World of Middle Earth and all of its beings.
The Lord of the Rings has much to teach us about God, the epic battle of good versus evil, how our choices affect our lives and the lives of other people, the lasting impact and consequences of our choices, and much, much more!
All of these “lessons” are wrapped up in an awesome, epic tale about the attempt of the “good guys,” Frodo, Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Gimli, Legolas, Boromir, and Aragorn to save Middle Earth from the evil perpetrated on it by Sauron and his ilk. These characters embodied Ephesians 6. They literally and figuratively put on the armor of God and stood against evil, risking their own lives to protect the lives and lifestyle of their friends and family. All this done by following the lead of four simply Hobbits, all less than four feet tall, but gigantic in moral and ethical stature.
I can’t even begin to describe this incredible, page-turner of a book! I know there are those that aren’t readers and the thought of tackling three mega-books is wa-ay outside their comfort zone. I do highly recommend watching the movies. The director’s cut is even better!
The story is compelling on its own, but add in the biblical undertones and you have a film that goes beyond awesome to indescribable!
Related Scripture:
Ephesians 6:10-18 – “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
Revelation 12:11 – “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
1 John 4:1 – “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
2 Corinthians 2:11 – “In order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”
2 Corinthians 4:3 & 4 – “And even if our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
2 Corinthians 11:13 & 14 – ”For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.”
Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”